holier; holiest
1
: exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness
2
: divine
for the Lord our God is holy—
Psalms 99:9 (King James Version)
Psalms 99:9 (King James Version)3
: devoted entirely to the deity or the work of the deity
a holy temple
holy prophets
4
a
: having a divine quality
holy love
b
: venerated as or as if sacred
holy scripture
a holy relic
5
—used as an intensive
this is a holy mess
he was a holy terror when he drank—Thomas Wolfe
—often used in combination as a mild oathThomas Wolfeholy smoke
Examples of holy in a Sentence
a holy relic worn by one of the saints
the holy monk spent many hours on his knees in prayer
Recent Examples on the Web
In the first Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, about 90,000 Palestinians prayed at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City under tight security by Israeli forces.
—Julia Frankel, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025
Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, is a holy month of fasting.
—Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 6 Mar. 2025
Many were there to break their day of holy fasting.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2025
But after signing his present and future lives away, this holy fool is at the mercy of his benefactors.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for holy
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Julia Frankel, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025
Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, is a holy month of fasting.
—Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 6 Mar. 2025
Many were there to break their day of holy fasting.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2025
But after signing his present and future lives away, this holy fool is at the mercy of his benefactors.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for holy
Cite this Entry
“Holy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holy. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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